Leadership Development

November 03, 2011

Just as I’m flying to California State University Northridge to present at their Deaf College Student Leadership Conference, I was reading a copy of Newsweek. There was a story on the infectious appeal of the #Occupy Wall Street movement. One particular quote stood out to me:

“In 2008 vast new numbers of Americans transformed the political process through social media and small-donor fundraising, electing a rank outsider, Obama, who challenged the natural heirs to the old system, the Clintons. The next year Iranians, empowered by the same technologies, called their own leaders’ electoral bluff and nearly changed the world. This year the very same empowerment gave us the Arab Spring.” - Andrew Sullivan, October 31 2011

The narrative goes on to link the meteoric trajectory of social media’s increasing presence in our daily lives and its impact upon global politics and - yes - corporate responsibilities. The “99%,” as they unveiled themselves on Wall Street more than six weeks ago, spoke out against growing income inequality and argued that financial institutions played a large role in it. The #Occupy Wall Street movement quickly expanded exponentially, garnering solid support through public opinion, even seeing #Occupy camps being set up in other cities. Soon, the #Occupy movement had hit the international level. I was starting to become accustomed to seeing the pictures of frustrated people getting their message out. I was inspired when these same pictures from places such as India, Italy, Chile, Russia, the United Kingdom, Algeria, and Spain appeared.

Some people criticized #Occupy as disorganized and lacking focus. But other pundits took to the pages of newspapers, magazines, and blogs to defend the #Occupy movement, calling it “not a protest but a true movement.” Regardless of how one defines #Occupy it’s clear to me that it could not have been possible without the power of social media.

We now see where the narrative has led us to, but the untold story is how the narrative didn’t begin at Obama’s 2008 campaign. The revolution of the social media hit the people with disabilities community, with their unique needs and perspectives, and changed their lives before the 2008 campaign. I’m telling this story not to have the disability community take credit as the originators but to give evidence of and solidify our unique status as “the canaries in the mine.”

What, canaries? How does that relate to #Occupy Wall Street and the world of Facebook/ Twitter/ YouTube?

In the olden days, when there was no technology to detect dangerous and deadly carbon monoxide in the mine, people used to bring canaries - bright, yellow, and singing - into the dark pits of the mines. Their purpose was to keep the miners alive. Because the canary was such a small, fragile bird, the carbon monoxide severely damaged the canary’s lungs long before it could have detectable effect on the miners. As soon as the canary stopped singing and dropped dead, the miners knew it was time to get out of the mine. Through this strategy, hundreds of human lives were saved.

The disability community - especially the deaf community, where I hail from - is likewise smaller, more fragile, and the “first to be impacted” by nearly anything that happens in the real world.

At generally the same time as the hearing world, the deaf community discovered blogging and vlogging (video-blogging). In May 2006, as the members of Gallaudet University rose up in a protest against the Board of Trustees’ decision to select a controversial candidate as the next President, the impact revebrated through the circles of deaf social media with a sonic boom. The administration presented their side of the story, which the protesters disputed and learned through the hard way that the mainstream media wasn’t always so fair in their coverage. The frustration of having one same article published in hundreds of newspapers through the Associated Press intensified the protesters’ dissent and added more to their argument that the perception and explantation of the protest was distorted and dishonest by the administration. We were merely students, staff, faculty, and alumni up against media professionals!! Such was the frustration we faced, but I’ll never forget this one game-changing line from the University’s offical public-relations spokesperson, defending the administration’s public relations tactic of distortion and giving misleading explanation of the protest’s real issues:

“Actually, the protesters have been very effective in getting their messages out through blogs and vlogs.”

That was true. Very true. Game-changing true. Ever since before the protest had happened, the deaf community was watching the protest closely and with deep interest through the internet. There was a blog set up that tracked the candidates for the Gallaudet University Presidential Search. Vlogs were made, hot discussions were had, and comments numbered well into the thousands. The anticipation was ripe when the announcement was made in May 2006 and when the information was disseminated, the blogosphere exploded in discussion and activism. There were a few blogs that ultimately became a kind of news channel for the deaf community, rapidly updating nearly daily with new information and developments. This gave us opportunity to present our side and our story, absolutely unfiltered and unmanipulated by the mainstream media.

At the time, we had only one media strategy - tell the truth. Tell the truth. Try to get the mainstream media to explain the truth. We didn’t have any other strategy than that but looking back, we utilized many tools that were enormously effective through the use of social media. We were able to galvanize and organize the community in a mass, to control and continue pushing our message out, and stick a powerful thumb in the side of the big guys.

The underdogs won in October 2006, when the Gallaudet Board of Trustees announced that the president-designate’s appointment would be rescinded. We cheered our victory! And in the aftermath, we were proud that our internet outreach had been so powerful to expand the tent city on Gallaudet University’s front lawn to a series of tent cities across the nation and internationally.

In 2007, when Dr. Robert Davila became the first person of color to serve as Gallaudet University’s president, the moment had great signifiance to many communities. As he took the podium to give his acceptance speech to the community, the first thing he said was “I’m home.” The deaf community cheered once again! That same year, then-Senator Barack Obama surveyed the landscape and decided that the moment was ripe for him to run for the President of the United States.

What the deaf community went through in these turburlent times of 2006-2007 ultimately gave us a small prediction of what would happen in the larger American and even international society. First, the impact of social media and the use of internet campaigns completely changed the way we organized ourselves for social and political causes. Secondly, people of color are now becoming more and more in our society. We are no longer survivors of outdated perceptions, inspiring in their climb towards the top. They are now university presidents, Commander in Chief, even overthrowing regimes.

Wherever you live, whatever your goals, whichever candidate you support, you are living in a world where social media – as mastered by the Deaf community—is a source of power that can’t be ignored. We tested the atmosphere and carved out a space for great work. What we have done will have a profound impact on movements that follow.

October 21, 2011

On Friday, October 14th AAPD partnered with Chicago’s Mayor’s office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) for the 2011 Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) National Launch.

Last week’s launch at Malcolm X College was a huge success, showcasing Chicago’s outstanding model and success in furthering the employment of youth with disabilities. The theme for the 2011 DMD National Launch was “Transition to Independent Futures”, focusing on the importance of education, employment, and independent living for people with disabilities. The morning started with outstanding keynote speeches from Commissioner Karen Tamley--MOPD, Allison Donnelly--Transition Manager for Chicago Public Schools, Mark Perriello--President and CEO of AAPD, Joyce Bender-- President and CEO of Bender Consulting and AAPD's Board Chair and Dr. Harvey Davis--Director of Installations and Logistics for NSA. The morning ended with wonderful skits prepared by the students, teaching the participants the right and wrong way to interview for a job. For the rest of the day, more than 300 young people participated in career building activities and workshops that will prepare them for the next stage in their lives.

The DMD National Launch kicks-off hundreds of DMD programs across the country. The programs are coordinated by a proximity 200 AAPD volunteers, implementing programs tailored to employers and students. DMD promotes career development for students and jobseekers with disabilities through hands-on career exploration, on-site job shadowing, and mentoring which leads to internship and employment opportunities. It is currently the nation’s largest job-shadowing program designed for people with disabilities.

Disability Mentoring Day is supported nationally by:

Platinum Partners Walmart, American Airlines, CSC

Gold Partners AT&T, IBM, SAP, SCI

Silver Partners Darden Restaurants

Bronze Partners ARAMARK, the US Office of Personnel Management, the US Office on Disability Employment Policy, Siemens, Walmart/Sam’s Club

October 19, 2011

Unemployment is high and job creation is a top priority for America. But job creation is not the only piece of the puzzle. For many Americans including those with disabilities and people with low incomes, job opportunity cannot exist without job access. Even if a person is offered her dream job, there is no true opportunity if she lacks accessible transportation to get to the interview.

As Congress and the Administration consider how to combat unemployment, it’s important that they include accessible, affordable transportation in their agenda. People with disabilities disproportionately lack access to cars, but most of our nation’s transportation investments continue to focus on car-based travel. Options such as rail, commuter buses, and transit-oriented development—which means building employment, housing, and community services around accessible transit—not only increase opportunities for people with disabilities, they benefit the entire community by reducing traffic and pollution, enabling senior citizens to be closer to services and activities, and providing options for lower-income workers who can ill afford the $9,000 per year that it costs to own and maintain a car.

October 18, 2011

How can people with disabilities create career opportunities? Each week, AAPD Board Chair Joyce Bender discusses the employment and empowerment of people with disabilities on her radio show: Disability Matters. Today’s edition of Disability Matters features Michael Murray, AAPD Director of Programs, offering listeners info and insight on Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) 2011. DMD, a job-shadow and career exploration program, links students and jobseekers with disabilities to employers interested in hiring people with disabilities. Every year, AAPD coordinates DMD through a network of more than 200 volunteers.

October 17, 2011

In the past several years, I’ve found myself in quite a few “at-the-right time-and-place” situations. I’ll tell you about two instances that are related:

I started my company, Keen Guides out of a random rainy day in a museum, when I discovered that audio tours were not as accessible as one would expect them to be given the technological advances of 2005. You can hear and watch the story by watching this video.

While I've been on Twitter since its infancy in 2006, I never caught on until Fall 2010, when I decided to dig in and give it a serious try for a solid week to see if I could better reach the museum and accessibility community. Well, I picked the right week because half-way into this week's experiment, I came across a link about the Hearne Award from the Twitter accounts I had recently found and started following. I was excited to learn about this, and slightly panicked seeing that I had three days left until the deadline. But I managed to get my two letters of recommendation completed (and pulled an all-nighter) to get what would be the winning application submitted in time. (Note: I'm certainly not advising you to wait until the very, very last minute to start the application. I got super lucky, especially since I had two awesome references who were able to help in such short time.)

Those two "at-the-right-time-at-the-right-moment" occurrences make me extremely grateful for the Hearne Award. This opportunity yielded me some great experiences, and I'll highlight a few of them in the bullets below:

Credibility - I was perceived by the business and disability community as a person with a valid, true focus, and a real cause that positively impacted not only people with disabilities but also everyone else.

Connections - The Hearne Award provided me with a vast network of leaders and advocates in both the disability field and business community. I've been able to meet with individuals in Fortune 500 companies, and with some of the most well-renown advocates in the field. How awesome is that?

Platform - Through the Gala and the video production, I was able to more effectively communicate my vision and goal for better accessibility through technology. I was able to do it live, in front of 700 people, and now I have the footage at the ready to share with other people so they can continue to learn about my mission.

Those are just a few of the areas outlining how the Hearne Award has been such a positive experience. If you’re considering it, I would first ask yourself these questions:

Do I need an extra boost in my credibility?

Am I in need of a stronger network of accessibility and business leaders?

Are my “marketing” materials as robust and targeted as I’d like them to be?

If you said “Yes” to any or all of the above, then you should apply for the Hearne Award of you meet the qualifications! Good luck!

Washington, D.C. – (September 19, 2011) – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announces its 2011 Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) events. Disability Mentoring Day events at work sites, workshops and job fairs provide valuable first-hand experience to students and job-seekers with disabilities. This experience has helped thousands of past participants develop lasting relationships and secure internships or jobs.

DMD began as an event at the White House for a few dozen students in 1999. In 2010, AAPD worked with over 200 volunteers and 19 DMD National Sponsors to support 13,000 students and job-seekers with disabilities participating in DMD events at sites across the country.

This year, AAPD and the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) will host the DMD National Launch at Malcolm X College in Chicago. The National Launch will mark the start of hundreds of DMD programs nationwide.

“Disability Mentoring Day is a testament to what responsible employers, energized volunteers, and AAPD can do together to promote employment opportunity,” said AAPD President and CEO Mark Perriello. “With unemployment among people with disabilities nearly twice as high as for our peers without disabilities, this is critical work. This program provides students and job seekers with disabilities a hands-on experience with the workforce that lays a foundation for future success,” he added.

AAPD is proud to partner with:

Platinum Partners Walmart, American Airlines, CSC

Gold Partners AT&T, IBM, SAP, SCI

SilverPartners Darden Restaurants

Bronze Partners ARAMARK, the US Office of Personnel Management, the US Office on Disability Employment Policy, Siemens, Walmart Sam’s Club

We live in a connected world. Facebook can tell us what our high school friends had for dinner. Mobile phones and texting make many people available around the clock. When I told my daughter how I used to go to a pay phone to call my cassette-based answering machine – and that I was really impressed at the technology that allowed me to play it remotely when it came out— she looked at me like I’m from another planet. It is another planet in many ways.

One thing hasn’t changed: when it comes to building a career, there is no substitute for face-to-face connections. There is no substitute for a human relationship with someone who knows what we’re capable of doing. Think back on your careers—for most of us, there is a critical human connection that made a difference for us. A teacher, supervisor, or colleague who connected us with a wonderful opportunity. Someone who reviewed our resume and encouraged us to apply for our dream job. An internship where we showed off our talents and proved that we we ready for the next thing. A human, face-to-face connection that worked.

Today AAPD, our partners, and volunteer networks celebrate the launch of Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) 2011. For thousands of students and job seekers across the country, DMD is provides a first-hand experience with the work force. Through a variety of events such as job shadowing, job fairs, and workshops, DMD participants have an opportunity to make a connection that matters. Over the years, DMD has led to lasting relationships that lead to career advice and internships or jobs.

There are many other ways to promote employment opportunity for people with disabilities: whether you choose to participate in a school mentoring program, hire a person with a disability in your own workplace, or advise a neighbor about career building, you are making a contribution. Our nation’s laws also affect employment opportunity. AAPD advocates for equal access to education and health care, investments in accessible transportation, and long-term support programs that promote rather than suppress employment opportunity. Please sign up for action alerts so that you can be a part of this work:http://www.aapd.com/site/c.pvI1IkNWJqE/b.5607285/k.42E6/Take_Action_Make_Your_Voice_Heard.htm

Then connect with friends, colleagues, and family members and ask them to join in, too.

August 25, 2011

By now many of you have received the sad news that Fred Fay passed away this past weekend. Our movement has lost a fighter, an innovator, and a problem solver. We have also lost a friend.

Through the assistive technology he developed or the legislation he championed, Fred changed our lives and our world in tangible ways. When Fred was invited to the White House in 1964, his wheelchair had to be bumped up the steps because the White House was not accessible. It is accessible today, and that means more than just being able to attend a signing ceremony or go on a tour. It means having the opportunity to make our case to the highest levels of government. We owe this opportunity in no small part to Fred, who fought with equal passion for access to education and employment and who inspired so many people to fight alongside him. It would be impossible to give a complete recitation of Fred’s accomplishments in this letter. We are posting links to some of the articles that have been published in the past few days. We’re also pleased to share letters from Yoshiko Dart and Becky Ogle.

We believe that the best tribute we could pay to Fred is to use Justice for All —which Fred co-founded and loved—as a forum to share our thoughts about Fred’s life and about how to continue our civil rights work together. Please submit your comments below to join in the conversation about taking this work forward with the same passion that Fred brought to it.

Please accept our deepest condolences for the recent passing of Fred. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you for your peace, comfort and strength to live through this difficult time. You all did a magnificent job assisting him to live a life of quality to his fullest. Hats off to you!

Justin and I had the privilege of working closely with Fred for many years on the ADA, Justice For All, political campaigns of/for/by the disability constituency and more.

When Fred received the 1997 Henry Betts Award at the Library of Congress via Satellite, Justin stated, Congratulations to Fred Fay, one of the greatest human beings I have ever known. He has been a pioneer of the international movement to liberate the hundreds of millions of people with disabilities from subhuman status. He has been an outstanding leader in research, philosophy, advocacy and politics.

His every act has communicated the courage to stand for principle, and the profound love for every person that has characterized the truly great moral leaders of history.

He has made monumental contributions to the quality of my life, and to the quality of the lives of millions in present and future generations.

Fred, Yoshiko and I are so proud to be associated with you. We love you. Lead On!

The monuments to Fred Fay will live and grow as increased quality of every human life as long as humans exist.

Fred, we love you. We cannot replace you, but we will multiply our passion and our actions to achieve the golden Dream that we share – the individualized empowerment of all human beings to live their full personal potential.

Beloved family members and friends of Fred, we love you.

FAY FAMILY POWER! POWER OF FRED’S LOVING AND FIGHTING SPIRIT! POWER OF DISABILITY PRIDE AND DIGNITY! POWER OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY!

Dr. Fred Fay was many things to many people. I could write about how proud he was to be a father of a bright and talented son and how proud he was of his wife Trish and her accomplishments as a business owner and wife, but my writing would not do justice to either so I will stick to what I knew best about Fred; his talent, commitment to disability rights and friendship to many.

Fred Fay, like those who left before him; Ed Roberts, Justin Dart, Jr., Mark Smith to name just a few, was a pioneer in every sense of the word. Fred managed to lead one of the most impressive, productive and meaningful lives all the while being flat out on his back 24-7. Some people who are upright won’t come close to accomplishing all Fred was able to accomplish flat out on his back. Granted Fred was fortunate to have Trish and others in his life who supported his goals and desires, but they will be just as quick to dismiss their own contributions and give full credit to Fred.

Fred Fay embodied all that is good and true in life. Fred was instrumental in mobilizing the grassroots during the ADA, political actions and of course his infamous role in Justice for All.Fred and I had a limited relationship prior to the creation of JFA, but this changed dramatically once JFA was up and running. Fred was the Moderator of JFA, which was no small undertaking, especially given the newness of the technology and the end users (me). Fred had spent many years building his own list of email addresses and it continued to grow it as JFA gained popularity. Few individuals at this point in time had the technological grasp Fred possessed and we all benefited greatly for his knowledge, because without his participation nothing got posted.

Many days Fred and I spoke as many as a dozen or more times. Usually our discussion began with my terrorizing Fred and threatening to roll up to MA to beat him senseless for not posting my alerts. Fred’s responses to my rants were always the same; he laughed. This incited me more, which only caused Fred to laugh more. I finally learned that Fred would always come through, but on his own time and not mine or others. Thankfully Fred’s timing never impeded people receiving alerts in a timely manner.

Little did I understand how Fred worked his magic during all the years of JFA, but this changed when Fred and I met in October, 1996 during the re-election campaign of Clinton-Gore. An opportunity presented itself for my being in the general vicinity of Boston for the campaign. I took advantage of it to meet this mystery man behind the voice I heard multiple times on a daily basis. Knowing a bit about Fred and his background did not prepare me in the least for our actual in person encounter.

Again, it was 1996 and technology was in its’ infancy for many, but not Fred Fay. Fred had his life wired into three different computers that hung from the ceiling enabling him to see them all at once. One computer was set-up for work related activity, another controlled his telephone and allowed him to play scrabble with his son and others. The third mounted computer appeared to give him total control over the surrounding environment allowing full independence.

The real shock for me came when Fred escorted me outside to choose where he wanted to place the Clinton-Gore yard sign I had brought for him. I had no idea the contraption/bed that held him flat on his back would also motor him out into his yard. No big deal or so it seemed to the neighbors driving by and waving as we planted the political sign. Apparently the only one surprised by Fred being outside was yours truly.

I had heard stories about Fred and his legendary relationship with Senators Kennedy and Kerry, and how often Senator Kennedy paid visits to seek out Fred’s advice. Legend held that Senator Kennedy came to Fred’s house on many occasions to discuss disability policy. The Senator took his cue from Fred and the assembled group of activists that Fred rounded up. Fred could have easily kept his visits with Senator Kennedy to just the two of them, but that was not in Fred’s nature. He invited everyone in the area interested in disability policy to attend every meeting he and the Senator conducted at Fred’s home. Pretty impressive, but you’d never know it from talking to Fred, because he never boasted or tooted his own horn the entire time I knew him.

Our community has seen its’ fair share of loss in terms of leaders leaving us way too soon and it is a given that many more will follow. It is my sincere desire that for those that knew nothing of Fred Fay’s contributions to our community you may have learned more here. I cannot do justice to all Fred gave, and hope others’ will take it upon themselves’ to add in their own perspective. The Dr. Fred Fay I got to know was a fine human being, and deserves to be remembered for all he did.

August 02, 2011

Retired Army 1st Sgt. Renee Floyd wasn’t about to let a disability stop her from realizing her dream of having her own business.

Applying 21 years of experience as an Army mechanic, she launched BRF Mobile Lube Service in Phenix City, Ala., in 2009 and began traveling to people’s homes and businesses to provide convenient oil changes and maintenance services.

But her big break came last month, she said, when she attended the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans With Disabilities at Florida State University. The nine-day EBV crash course is part of a program designed to help participants get their businesses off the ground or enhance ventures they have started...

AMS is utilizing our relationship with AAPD to create a more diverse workforce, one that includes more employees with disabilities. We understand the importance of designing employment practices that consider the needs of all employees A diverse workforce introduces everyone to unique perspectives that ultimately help us find innovative approaches to solving problems and solidifying our business model. This is one of the ways AMS can continue to provide services that benefit everyone in the greater public.

This summer, Maya Ariel, an undergraduate student studying business administration at Rochester Institute of Technology, joined AMS as an intern for the agency’s Fruit and Vegetable Programs. In her position, Maya, who is Deaf, helps Christopher Purdy, the program’s business development specialist, identify ways for AMS to partner with other organizations and market the program’s services. By providing Maya with the accommodations she needs to be successful, AMS has gained a truly valuable team member.

AMS values its partnerships with diverse organizations, such as AAPD, that enable us to identify, attract and recruit top-tier talent. We encourage students to take advantage of the internship program so that they can become familiar with the agency and learn about other career opportunities.

We support AAPD’s belief that people with disabilities are an important and intricate part of diversity in the workforce.

AAPD recently came to USDA Headquarters to chronicle a day in the life of an intern. Video footage of Ariel and the rest of the AAPD interns’ summer experiences will be available by visiting the AAPD Internship Program Web site in the early fall.

Frankie Mastrangelo is the moderator for both the Justice For All (JFA) national email listerv as well as for the JFActivist blog. She is also an organizer for the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.